


The Ballad of Arthur and Gwaine

by rubberglue



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 11:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1385341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubberglue/pseuds/rubberglue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <br/>
    <i>A quest for some mysterious object rendered mysterious by its sheer mysteriousness, for example, was enough to justify any lethally foolish adventure.</i>
    <br/>
  </p>
</div>(Set in early s3, AU in which Merlin's magic is known to Arthur and Gwen.) Neither Arthur nor Gwaine are pleased when their roads cross as they embarked on a quest for a mysterious object. For reasons that are remarkably similar, both Gwen and Merlin tag along and all four find themselves on a quest where they find more than treasure.
            </blockquote>





	The Ballad of Arthur and Gwaine

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Merlin Reverse Big Bang 2014. With many thanks to longjackets for the beta and ancelstierre for the [gorgeous art](http://nusseis.livejournal.com/4314.html) and indulging me in my various forms of panic. I hope you enjoy the fic! ♥
> 
> (Just a note, this is essentially a gen fic.)

Upon hearing Arthur's detailed description of his dream, Gwen raised her eyebrows but said nothing. She had expected her silence to be discouraging but Arthur seemed to misunderstand.

"And as you can see, I have to go." He was still in bed, most of his bare torso covered by his blanket, yet Gwen found herself unable to tear her gaze from him. Arthur, on the other hand, didn't share her sense of need, far too concerned with his dream.

"Alright." Gwen said calmly. A big proponent of learning from the past, one thing she had learnt was that the man she was in love with was a stubborn ass and he was incapable of turning down anything that resembled a quest. And Gwen didn't believe in fighting losing battles. "When do you plan to leave?"

"I need a few days off," declared Merlin as he stumbled into the room. Late, of course, which was why Gwen was in Arthur's room, helping him with the chores. Merlin flashed her a quick, apologetic smile before repeating his request again.

Arthur frowned and pushed himself off the bed. "No."

"What do you mean no?" 

Gwen went back to wiping down Arthur's writing desk. This was shaping up to be yet another squabble between the two and the other thing she'd learnt was never to get in the middle, lest she found herself dragged into something she wanted no part of. 

"I mean no. We have to travel to the Ewyern Mountains tomorrow morning." Arthur walked to the screen and Merlin immediately reached into his wardrobe to grab some clothes for him, tossing them over the screen. Gwen smiled wryly and wondered if the two of them ever realised just how married they seemed.

"Why are we going to Ewyern Mountains?" Merlin glanced at Gwen who shrugged and moved to make Arthur's bed. 

From behind the screen, muffled, Gwen figured, by his clothes, Arthur answered. "I had a dream."

"That explains everything of course,” said Merlin dryly.

Gwen stifled a laugh at Merlin's pained expression, fluffed Arthur's pillow a little, then grabbed her basket. "I've to go."

++++

Normally, Gwen liked horse-riding. There was something soothing about being on a horse, away from the castle, fresh air in her face, the rhythm of the horse moving under her lulling her into a state of relaxation. Not today though. Somehow, despite all the lessons she'd learnt, she still ended up in the middle of a quest that Arthur had literally dreamed up. 

Merlin's horse cantered next to hers. "We should take a break," he suddenly declared. "And wouldn't you believe it, there's a tavern over there."

"We've barely left Camelot's inner borders!" Arthur twisted around and glared at Merlin. 

"I could do with a break," said Merlin, then faked a yawn for good measure. "I'm a little tired."

Arthur sighed deeply. "You are such a wuss, Merlin. Look at Gwen." Arthur's voice softened as his eyes met hers. "You're not tired are you?"

From the corner of her eyes, Gwen could see Merlin shooting her a pleading look. Resigning herself to never fully understanding the inner workings of Merlin's brain, she nodded. "I could do with a little rest."

"Alright, fine," snapped Arthur as he yanked at his reigns, directing his horse toward the tavern. 

The tavern was like every other tavern that dotted the Albion landscape, loud, crowded, smelled slightly like unwashed laundry and home to a very familiar rogue going by the name of Gwaine. 

"If it isn't the prattish prince," Gwaine slurred, knocking into a few chairs and tables as he made his way over to the three of them. 

"Shush!" Arthur grumbled, his eyes darting around the crowd, "I'm incognito. What on earth are you up to, Merlin?"

That was a question Gwen wanted answered as well. As far as she knew, Gwaine had been banished from Camelot so why was he idling in a tavern just outside her borders and more importantly, how did Merlin know?

Arthur bustled them to a table in the shadows, ordered each of them a tankard of mead, then stared accusingly at Merlin.

“You knew Gwaine was here.”

“Why are you two here?” Gwaine took a large drink from the tankard, slamming it down, then looking curiously at her and Arthur. “I didn’t expect Merlin to bring help.”

“Help?” Arthur spluttered, standing from the seat he’d just taken. “I have no idea what you mean but we’re on a quest.”

Gwaine’s eyes widened. “A quest. How delightful. I am on one too.” Another sip from the tankard. Then his voice dipped and Gwen had to lean over the table to catch his words. “I had a dream, you see, two nights ago and in it –“

“- was a faceless figure with a cloak?” 

“Did you have that dream too, Gwen?”

Settling back into his seat, Arthur sniffed, “No, I did. I rather you didn’t steal my quests.”

“What did they want?” asked Gwen, placing a hand on Arthur, hoping that would calm him before he called the attention of the whole tavern to them. “I don’t suppose it was a box containing –“

“- the Stone of Esthpet.” 

Arthur glared at Gwaine. “Why do you want the Stone of Esthpet?”

“Why do you want the Stone of Esthpet?” Gwaine countered, before taking another swig of his drink. “And I dreamt of it first.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m prince so I get first dibs.”

“Alright, alright.” Merlin stood, raising his hands. “Stop it.”

“Just because you’re prince doesn’t –“

“ – don’t care because you have no right even to be in this –“

Gwen pushed her tankard aside and cleared her throat. “Here’s what I think.”

At her voice, all three of them stopped talking and turned to her. “We should go together. It’ll make the journey easier.”

“Who gets the Stone of Esthpet when we get it?” Arthur demanded.

“How about the one who contributed most to the retrieving of the stone?” suggested Gwen. “Merlin and I will judge.”

“That is –“

“- brilliant!” Gwaine emptied his tankard, slammed it onto the table and nodded agreeably. 

Gwen slipped her hand in Arthur’s and he squeezed it. “Fine,” he said reluctantly. “Finish up. We should get going.”

Watching appreciatively as Arthur walked up to the bar to settle the tab, Gwen didn’t notice what happened but suddenly, there was a shout and when she turned to look, Gwaine had just hit someone with his tankard. Her healthy sense of self-preservation meant that she immediately took cover under the table, just as a large burly man stepped up and swung a fist at Gwaine. Merlin grabbed him around the waist – why, Gwen had no idea since Merlin was so slight, it would have been like a small dog biting the man on the shin. From under the table, Gwen crawled over, then using the flat side of her sword, she hit the burly man at the back of his knees. He buckled with a hoarse cry. At that moment, Gwaine promptly smashed a pot on his head. 

When Gwen peeked out again, Arthur was in the midst of a sword fight with two men while Gwaine held off another fellow. Something moved beside her and Gwen turned, her hand still gripping her sword. 

“Merlin!” She whispered. “Why are you under the table?”

“I could ask the same about you,” he said with a shrug. “Seems safer here.”

The fighting continued to rage around them and Gwen winced when Arthur was hit on the back, thankful it didn’t seem to slow him down as he turned to punch his attacker. “Use your magic, Merlin!”

“I was hoping for a more opportune moment. I mean, it would be far more dramatic for me to use my magic just as –“ 

Gwen watched as Merlin was hauled out from under the table. “Use your magic!”

When it started to snow in the tavern, Gwen sighed. At least, the snow was shocking enough to distract everyone. She scrambled from under the table, watched as Arthur quickly disarmed the men he was fighting then yell at Merlin to bind them. Gwaine slammed his own foe onto the table and held him there till Merlin ambled over to tie him up as well.

“Fight’s over!” yelled Gwaine to the other cowering patrons. “Sorry about the snow.”

Sliding his sword back into his scabbard, Arthur shook his head and joined Gwaine in the center of the tavern. “Send word to Sir Leon in Camelot. He’ll send men to pick up these people.”

No one said anything.

“Snow, Merlin. Really?” Arthur muttered as they walked towards their horses. Merlin simply shrugged, refusing to offer any explanation. Arthur shifted his focus. “And Gwaine, have you ever been to a tavern without getting embroiled in a fight?”

“Not really but a tavern is often a hive of scum and villainy so it’s not surprising to encounter thieves.”

“You should know,” muttered Arthur.

Gwen looked up. “Is that what happened?”

“Pickpockets,” said Gwaine. “But no one ever steals from me. My reflexes are far too quick. I want to point out to our esteemed judges that I was the one who defeated the large man.”

“And I held off two men at the same time,” scoffed Arthur. “If anything, that should give me more points.”

“You had a sword. Might I remind you that I only had the jugs and tankards to use?”

Arthur sighed. "What happened to your sword?”

“I might have lost it in a bet.”

“That’s brilliant. Just brilliant.” Arthur rubbed the back of his neck and Gwen noticed the familiar clench of his jaw. 

Shrugging, Gwaine grabbed his bag. “Look, all we have to do is get it back or get a new one.”

“How do we get your sword back?” asked Gwen.

“Well, if Arthur here would give me some gold, I’m pretty sure I can trade that for my sword.”

“Arthur –“ Gwen quickly said. “Gwaine would be much more useful with a sword.” Arthur shot her a look, then, huffed and pouted as he dug out his bag of gold. 

“Here, although I have no idea where you plan to get a sword. There’s hardly a smithy here for miles.”

“Thanks.” Gwaine marched back to the tavern. “A gold coin for a sword!” he yelled through the tavern doorway. Arthur closed his eyes, Merlin grinned while Gwen wondered what she'd really got herself into. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to turn back to Camelot, where Gwen was sure laundry and other chores awaited her. Or maybe not.

Within minutes, Gwaine was back with them, brandishing a not-so-new sword.

“Not bad,” said Merlin, grinning happily. “In my expert opinion, you got a good deal.”

Arthur smacked Merlin’s head. “Of all the people here, you know the least about swords. Now can we get going? We need to make through the Darkling Woods before nightfall. Or at least to a suitable clearing.”

++++

Gwen watched the three men cantering in front of her and her mind drifted to the many stories of heroic quests that her father used to tell her. If Arthur was the hero, then Gwaine was likely to be his second-in –charge. Merlin would probably be the brains although after his efforts in the tavern, Gwen wasn’t very sure about that. Which left her as the useless chick. Her mouth twisted. Well, either that or the muscle and she very obviously wasn’t the latter.

“A coin for your thoughts?” Arthur slowed his horse so they cantered side by side. “Since I’m apparently giving away money, you might as well get some.”

“I was just thinking that we need someone really strong to round up the group.” Then she sighed. “And I don’t want to be the useless female in the group.”

"This group?" Arthur gestured to Merlin and Gwaine in front of them, both engrossed in some conversation. “You can mend wounds, are the most sensible person I know so how could you ever be useless? Now Merlin – ask him to use his magic and he makes it snow – if that’s not useless, I don’t know what is.”

Gwen smiled at Arthur, who reached over to brush a hand across her shoulder. “Thanks for coming, by the way.”

“Well, I’ve never been on a proper quest before although I’ve heard about many. I thought it would be fun.” What she didn't tell Arthur was she had impulsively said yes because she wanted to spend more time with him outside of Camelot where she wasn’t a servant and he wasn’t a prince. 

Her answer made Arthur laugh. “Fun? I hope so, for your sake. With Gwaine and Merlin, I’m expecting it to be more frustrating than fun.”

“Who do you think that hooded figure was, in your dreams? And why would he approach both you and Gwaine?”

Arthur shrugged. “I have no clue to be honest.”

“Do you go riding out every time someone mysterious asks you to?” 

This time, Arthur turned his frown to her. “Are you trying to imply something?”

Gwen pursed her lips to stop the smile that threatened to break across her face. “I was just thinking, it can’t be hard to get hold of a hood and then –“ Reaching over, Arthur shoved her gently and Gwen squealed, her fingers curling tightly around the reigns. 

“Is everything alright?” Merlin yelled.

“Fine!” Gwen smiled, turning her attention back to Arthur. “I am just saying you need to be more selective.”

“Getting a hood might be easy but infiltrating my dreams can’t be that easy.”

Gwen raised her eyebrows then shook her head. Arthur sighed dramatically. “I have a feeling you aren’t taking this quest as seriously as I would like.” 

“I really am only here to spend time with you, Arthur.” Gwen finally confessed, her heart warming when Arthur flashed her a fond grin. She lowered her voice. “I mean, you don’t even know what the Stone of Esthpet is or what it does. It’s a little hard to take it seriously.”

His grin faded and Arthur narrowed his eyes at her, huffing. “I need a more understanding partner in life.”

Gwen just grinned, then urged her horse on so she overtook Arthur.

++++

Merlin lit the fire easily with a few muttered words. 

“Impressive,” said Gwen as she tossed in another twig onto the dancing fire. “You never use your magic much in Camelot.”

“That magic ban might have something to do with it. Then again, there is a reason I always manage to finish all the chores Arthur gives me.”

Gwen stretched out her legs, rubbing her thighs. As enjoyable riding was, too much of it made her ache and they had ridden hard, determined to reach this clearing by nightfall. “Speaking of Arthur, where did he and Gwaine go?”

“They’ve gone to get us some dinner.” Merlin settled down on the damp log next to her. “You started it, you know.”

“Started them finding us dinner?”

“The competition. They’ve both gone in separate directions to locate dinner. Instead of, you know, working together.”

A twinge of guilt poked at Gwen and she shifted uncomfortably. 

Merlin slung his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “I was joking. You know the two of them would have found some way to justify acting like this, whether or not you made that suggestion.”

Leaning into Merlin and staring into the fire, Gwen asked, "You've been in contact with Gwaine all these time. Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have told Arthur." She tried to mask her hurt but the way Merlin moved to look at her face suggested that she hadn’t been very successful.

"I know you wouldn’t have but I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position. You know how Arthur feels about him.”

“Arthur doesn’t hate him. Not really.”

Merlin nodded, his eyes suddenly troubled. “He doesn’t like Gwaine much.”

Rubbing Merlin’s shoulder, wondering why he seemed sad that Arthur wasn’t Gwaine’s fan, Gwen said kindly, “Who does Arthur like, beside himself?”

Against her, Gwen felt Merlin chuckle. “And you?” Then he sighed. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Gwaine.”

“It’s not like your suspicious behavior doesn’t come up every other day as conversation,” said Gwen. She scuffed the ground in front of her with her foot. “I never tell Arthur anything you don’t want me to.”

“Yeah well. It is a little private.”

That made Gwen lift her head to peer at Merlin. “Private?” Even the dim light couldn’t hide the slight flush in Merlin’s face. “You and Gwaine?”

“No!” He turned away. “I mean, it’s not like we’re together or anything.”

Biting down on her lip, Gwen looked back into the fire. “I suppose Gwaine has his charms – that devil may care attitude, that hair. His body –“

“Shush!” Merlin flapped his hands in her direction. “Someone is back and I swear –“

“You secret is safe with me. Although –“

Arthur was the first to reach Merlin and Gwen. A twig in his hair, scuff marks on his sleeve, Arthur didn’t look like he had an easy time apprehending the squawking bird he held tightly under his arm. Still, it was a sizeable bird and Gwen’s stomach rumbled at the prospect of it being roasted. 

Passing the bird to Merlin who held it as far from himself as possible, Arthur glanced around their camp. “Ha! Gwaine is still hunting, isn’t he?” Arthur ran a hand through his hair, a cocky smile spreading across his face. “So much for his fine hunting skills. Don’t forget who brought dinner.”

“You’re such an ass,” muttered Merlin. “Are you going to cook this?”

“No. I caught it. You can cook it. That’s what I pay you for.”

“It’s still alive.” The bird squawked into Merlin’s face, then flapped its wings frantically. “Stop it!”

“I know.” Arthur sat on the log next to Gwen and pulled off his boots, wriggling his toes. “You should probably kill it first.”

“Why didn’t you kill it?” grumbled Merlin as he stood and walked towards the fire, holding the bird as far from him as possible. “How lazy can you get?”

Gwen saw Arthur’s smirk. “Hey, it’s fresh!”

“I’m going to help him,” said Gwen, ignoring Arthur’s protest. Arthur was really an ass sometimes. 

Just as Gwen and Merlin wrangled the freshly dead bird onto a stick to roast, Gwaine came tramping back into camp dragging a very dead deer with him.

"Hello!" Gwaine said cheerily. “Anyone fancy some deer?”

“I think Gwaine wins this round,” said Merlin, flushing when Gwaine grinned at him.

++++

“I am starting to regret this whole thing,” said Gwen to Merlin as they packed up camp the next morning. “Look at all this meat! How will we carry them?”

“And this is when I impress you with my magic.” Flashing her a smug grin, Merlin muttered some words she didn't understand and everything shrank. Easily, Merlin picked them up and stuffed them into his satchel. 

A reluctant smile tugging at her lips, Gwen shook her head. "That is impressive but I can't help but remember someone making snow in a fight." 

"That," said Merlin, refusing to meet her eyes, "is because I am a lover not a fighter."

Her reluctant smile blossomed into a full blown one and the laugh that escaped her caught the attention of Arthur and Gwaine, who were a distance away tending to the horses. "Have you told Gwaine that?"

The panicked look in Merlin’s eyes made Gwen laugh even harder, although she covered her mouth with her hands. She waved at Gwaine who had turned to look at them. Beside her, Merlin blushed and fussed over the bags. Once Gwaine turned back, Gwen nudged Merlin and grinned at him.

“Don’t you dare,” said Merlin.

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Reaching over, she pulled another bedroll towards her to pack. “I just think that if you want something – or someone – you need to do more than blush in their general direction.”

“What about you and Arthur then?”

It was Gwen’s turn to look away. “We’re friends, like you and Arthur.”

“I don’t know. Arthur’s never kissed me before,” Merlin said on an exaggerated sigh. 

Finished with the bedrolls, Gwen stood and dusted off her trousers. “We’re friends,” she repeated, as if saying it with sufficient confidence would make it true.

“Sure,” said Merlin. “You two are trapped in the strangest dance – one step forward, two steps back.” 

“You made your point Merlin. Can we drop the topic now?”

“Hey you two! Are you done?” Gwaine waved at them from the horses. “We need to get going.”

Merlin waved back. “Coming!” 

With a shake of her head, she watched as Merlin practically ran to Gwaine. She hoped she wasn’t quite as obvious. But when Arthur turned and flashed her a warm smile, her insides quivered and she suspected that she was a mirror image of Merlin.

++++

When Arthur’s carefully aimed bolt merely bounced off the creature’s skin, Gwen figured they might be in trouble. Squashed between Gwaine and Merlin, Gwen wondered if the difficulty she was having breathing was due to the fact that they were all huddled under a large tree root or the fact that the creature they were battling had the worst breath she’d ever encountered.

One moment, they were cantering through the forest, a slight breeze against their faces, the songs of birds in the air. The next, a large creature was upon them, teeth bared and claws unsheathed. Gwen wasn’t even sure where it came from. But it came nevertheless, a giant ball of fur determined to tear them to shreds. 

“Damn. His hide is far too armoured.” Arthur twisted his head slightly. “I hope your magic is more useful, Merlin. I don’t think snow is going to work.”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “That’s joke has gotten old.”

“It will never get old,” laughed Arthur.

“Excuse me, you jokers but there’s a large, bear-lion hybrid out there trying to get his lunch,” interjected Gwaine just as the creature reached in again, attempting to take a swipe at them. Gwen pressed back, dragging Merlin with her, narrowly avoiding its paw.

“Merlin!” she said urgently. 

“Yes. Yes.”

A loud explosion happened and Gwen cowered further into the root. When the smoke cleared, the creature roared again, leading to chorus of hissed Merlin.

“Look! I tried alright? He’s indestructible.”

“There must be a weakness,” muttered Arthur. “Everyone has a weakness.”

“You must have some other spell!” Gwen said. “You don’t have to kill him, just make sure he doesn’t kill us.”

Merlin straightened and raised his hand. “Good point.” Then he muttered something, there was a red flash and the roaring stopped. A grin slowly emerged on Merlin’s face. 

“What did you do?” asked Arthur suspiciously as the creature suddenly sat down placidly in front of the root. 

Merlin’s grin got impossibly wider. “I cast a sleeping spell.”

When Gwaine slapped him on the back, Gwen thought she could see Merlin light up, even in the darkness. “You’re brilliant.”

“Come on. Let’s make a move before it wakes up,” said Arthur as he slowly unfolded himself and moved cautiously towards where the creature sat. He poked at it with his foot.

“What are you doing?” asked Gwaine incredulously. It was question Gwen wanted answered as well.

“Just wanted to make sure it was really sleeping.” Just then a loud snore echoed through the forest, startling Arthur, who jumped back, stumbling over some roots. Loudly, he swore then gave the creature an extra kick for good measure.

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “And you’re supposed to be the crown prince. Let’s go.” He crawled out from the root, reaching out a hand to help Gwen. Beside her, Merlin scrambled out as well, dusting off his clothes.

"Gwen and I win this round for sure," said Merlin with a smirk.

++++

If Gwaine thought that killing a deer for one dinner was going to win him the rights to the Stone of Esthpet, he could think again. Arthur was not used to losing and he wasn’t going to lose this time. Not that he knew what the Stone of Esthpet was exactly, but he was pretty sure it was magical and would make a nice addition to that room his father had where he kept an assortment of magical knick knacks. Plus, it would definitely impress his father. 

And maybe Guinevere.

“Find anything?” Gwaine’s voice echoed through the cave.

“Will you shut up?” snapped Arthur. “You’re either going to get all manners of creatures coming out to kill us or you’re just frightening them away.”

“Hey, don’t treat me like I’ve never done anything like this before. I am a mercenary you know.”

“Obviously not a very successful one judging by the fact that you seem to be constantly broke.”

Gwaine laughed. “I have needs. And the fact that nothing is lunging at us to kill us is a good thing.”

“Right. Anyway, the cave looks safe enough for us to set up camp.” Arthur waved his torch around one more time just to be sure. “I’ll go get Merlin and Guinevere. Why don’t you look for a patch that isn’t damp?”

Gwaine grunted in agreement, then wandered off. Outside, Arthur saw Merlin and Guinevere laughing. Her hand was resting on Merlin’s upper arm and a jealousy twisted in his gut, even as his head told him that he was being ridiculous. 

“Merlin! Stop playing around and bring the bedrolls in!”

“The cave is safe?” asked Guinevere. 

He nodded, the knot in his stomach easing when she smiled at him. Stretching out his hand, Guinevere took it with little hesitation. Without the constant reminders of their status, it seemed that Guinevere was more open with her affections and Arthur enjoyed it. 

Gwaine had gotten a fire going when they entered the cave. With a smirk, he looked up at Arthur. “I think this is a point in my favour.”

“Half a point,” retorted Arthur. “Starting a fire is hardly anything special. Merlin can do it.”

In the background, Merlin grumbled but Arthur ignored him and set the bedrolls down. One night together and the four of them were already working in rhythm. The bedrolls were laid out, dinner on the fire cooking, leaving them with little else to do except chat. 

“By tomorrow evening, we would be inside Caerleon’s borders. We need to be as inconspicuous as possible, since Caerleon is unlikely to welcome me skulking around in their land.” Arthur absently sharpened his sword as he spoke. 

“Relationships between Caerleon and Camelot haven’t improved huh?” Gwaine’s words were innocuous but there was an underlying accusatory tone. “Maybe if your father wouldn’t keep pushing his borders further and further into their lands, things would improve.”

Arthur dropped his sword. “Don’t talk about my father. You don’t know him.”

“I know that all nobles are selfish and power hungry.”

“Gwaine,” Merlin whispered.

“Are you saying I am selfish and power hungry?”

Gwaine shrugged. “Only you know the answer to that.”

“Arthur is not like his father,” said Guinevere quietly and Arthur shot her a look of gratitude. 

“I’m just saying power has a way of corrupting people. Never knew a noble I liked,” said Gwaine. 

“I’m not like that,” Arthur muttered despite the tiny voice in his head suggesting that Gwaine’s words held an element of truth. What did it matter anyway, if Gwaine didn’t like him?

“It doesn’t matter, does it? We’re stuck together now.” Gwaine stood. “I’m going to take a walk.”

Arthur said nothing and stared into the fire, Gwaine’s words still floating in his head. He felt movement and Guinevere sat next to him. Gently, she rubbed his arm. “Are you alright?”

“Do you think Gwaine is right?” Arthur leaned into Guinevere’s warmth. “That power makes you selfish?”

“Once upon a time, I used to think you were selfish too,” said Guinevere. “But I don’t anymore. Not all the time anyway.”

Her words were soft and earnest and at that point, Arthur thought he couldn’t love Guinevere more. By the fire, although they had been travelling hard for the past two days, she still looked as fresh-faced and beautiful as ever, and the urge to kiss her welled up in Arthur.

But from across the campfire, Arthur noticed that Merlin was watching them, so he drew back and contented himself with looking at her. 

“I bet you agree with Gwaine,” he said to Merlin.

“Sometimes you can be a selfish prat,” replied Merlin. “Isn’t there any way we can avoid going through Caerleon?”

“Are you scared?” asked Arthur.

“No. I just – I mean, why risk it?” 

In the flickering light, Arthur could see the concern on Merlin’s face although why Merlin was so worried eluded him. But then again, Merlin had always been a worrywart – constantly worrying about all sorts of things. 

“It isn’t that much of a risk. As long as we are discreet and quiet – no tavern fights, for example – we’ll be fine. Also, going around Caerleon means an extra two to three days. It’s not worth it.” 

Merlin nodded, but the worry lines on his face remained.

“Look, I promise it will be fine. We have survived worse,” Arthur said gently. 

Guinevere stood, stretching and yawning. “I think Arthur is right. We just have to be careful. Also, it would be nice to stay in a place with a bed.”

Immediately, Arthur reached out to rub her back, smiling when she moaned in gratitude. “You should get some sleep. You too, Merlin.”

As Arthur watched the two of them curled up in their bedrolls, hopefully asleep, he wondered idly where Gwaine was. It had been quite some time since he went out for a walk. He was just thinking about going to check on Gwaine when footsteps made him grab his sword.

“It’s just me.”

“Good walk?” asked Arthur as he put his sword down. “You were gone for quite a while.”

“I thought you’d be happy that I was gone.” Gwaine flung himself on the hard ground and pulled off his boots. 

“I may not be your biggest fan but I still wouldn’t want you injured or dead.”

“Look, what I said earlier, it was out of line.”

Arthur squinted at Gwaine through the flickering flames. “Don’t worry about it.”

For a while, the two of them sat in silence, Gwaine poking at his boots while Arthur watched the fire. Like Merlin, Gwaine seemed worried and it made Arthur wonder if there was something the two of them knew that he didn’t. 

“What’s up with you?” Arthur finally asked.

Gwaine looked up, slightly surprised as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone. “Nothing. I just don’t like Caerleon much.”

“The King or the place?”

“Both.”

“Aren’t you from Caerleon?” Merlin had mentioned it once to Arthur, but he didn’t seem to know much more than that.

A wry smile twisted Gwaine’s face. “That was a long time ago. A lifetime ago.”

There was more to the story but Arthur didn’t want to pry. People should be allowed to have their secrets. Instead, he pushed himself off the ground. “Right. You take the first watch. I’m going to bed.”

++++

“Well, here we are.” Arthur watched Gwaine carefully. The closer they got to Caerleon, the quieter Gwaine got. Merlin too seemed concerned, staying close to Gwaine all the time. “One more step and we’ll be in Caerleon.”

“There’s a tavern not far from the border. We can rest there,” said Gwaine. 

“Are you sure?” Merlin asked immediately. 

Gwaine shrugged. “It’s been three nights on hard ground. I need a bed. Come on. The quicker we cross the border, the quicker we can get through Caerleon.” Without waiting for an answer from anyone, he yanked at the reigns and galloped off. Merlin followed.

“Let’s go,” Arthur looked at Guinevere, then nudged his horse on. 

“Tell me about Caerleon,” said Guinevere as they rode, side by side, slightly behind Merlin and Gwaine. “I’ve never been out of Camelot’s borders before.”

“I don’t think it’s much different from Camelot. King Caerleon consolidated all this land, then named the kingdom after himself, which probably tells you a lot about him.”

Guinevere laughed. “I suppose we should be glad Camelot isn’t named Utherland or something.”

“I could change the name to Arthurland when I become king. What do you think of that?”

“I think I would need to move to another kingdom,” Guinevere said with a grin.

“Well then, since I can’t bear for you to leave, we’ll just have to keep Camelot as Camelot.” When Guinevere’s cheek pinked, Arthur’s smile got bigger.

Merlin and Gwaine stopped, waiting for Arthur and Gwen to pull level with them. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” said Gwaine. “The tavern is over there. Then we’ll really be in Caerleon.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Arthur urged his horse forward. 

The tavern looked like any other – the usual assortment of mercenaries, drunks, travelers all gathered inside. It even smelled the same as the tavern in Camelot’s middle town, thought Arthur as they pushed through the crowd to find an empty seat conveniently at a corner of the tavern.

“Four ales,” said Gwaine to the barmaid who came over. “Looks like this place hasn’t changed a bit.” He placed his sword onto the table and continued to look around the tavern.

Next to him, Merlin asked, “Do you miss it?” 

Gwaine’s laugh was bitter. “No. And the sooner we leave this place, the better.”

The ales were delivered, splashing onto the table as the barmaid slammed them down. “That’s 5 coins.”

“Here you go.” Arthur dug out the coins from his pouch and placed them on the table. “We need two rooms as well.”

The barmaid harrumphed in response then left.

“Not very friendly, is she?” said Guinevere. 

Arthur shook his head. “Not at all. Is everyone in Caerleon like that?”

“Hey, I’m friendly,” said Gwaine. “You can’t blame her. Her father isn’t the most pleasant person to live with.”

That made Guinevere lean forward over the table. “You know her? She didn’t seem to recognize you.”

Merlin too turned questioning eyes to Gwaine.

“From a long time ago. I’m glad she doesn’t remember me.”

Before Arthur could say anything to that, the barmaid returned to their table. “Here. Keys to two rooms – the last two on the right.”

“Thank you,” said Merlin, reaching out to grab the keys. “I guess Gwaine and I will share a room. Then you two can have the other.”

Him and Guinevere sharing a room. Arthur immediately turned to look at her, wondering how she felt about it. She smiled at him, a slight flush on her cheeks and he figured that meant she had no objections. Arthur smiled back at her. He couldn’t wait.

Taking a long sip of the ale, Arthur only half-listened to Merlin and Guinevere’s conversation about Caerleon. Although Gwaine had one arm casually slung over Merlin’s chair and he was slouched in his chair, Arthur had the feeling that he was watching the tavern carefully. Arthur only hoped that this was to avoid any tavern fights, as opposed to getting embroiled in one.

Voices rose in one corner of the tavern and Arthur idly looked over to see a group of men in armour, heads together, talking. In itself, it wasn’t an unusual sight in a tavern but the way they kept darting looks at Arthur’s table made him uneasy. Instinctively Arthur gripped his sword, then nudged Gwaine.

“We have to go.” Grabbing his sword, Gwaine jumped off his seat. “Come on.”

The urgency in Gwaine’s voice made the three of them obey his order without question. Quietly, they moved towards the tavern exit. But Arthur could feel the eyes of that group of men following them. 

“If it isn’t Gwaine. Back in Caerleon again.” At the entrance stood a large, burly man, arms crossed with a cold grin on his face. 

“Sir Tybalt. How nice to see you again.” Gwaine returned his cold grin with one of his own.

Arthur stiffened. He saw Merlin push Guinevere behind him. 

“You are not welcome in Caerleon,” sneered Sir Tybalt. “But you were always thought you were better than us, didn’t you? Thought you could come back here without us noticing.”

“I see that time hasn’t made you any smarter, stating the obvious.” Gwaine stepped forward. “You have a problem with me. Leave my friends alone.”

By now, a number of men were surrounding them, all clad in the distinctive blue cloaks of Caerleon. Knights. Of course Gwaine would be some sort of wanted, low life criminal. Arthur glanced at the men around them. Alone, there was no way him and Gwaine could take them all on but with Merlin’s magic, it wouldn’t be impossible. His eyes met Merlin who nodded.

Tybalt spoke again, his sword drawn and pointed at Gwaine. “I’m in a good mood today. Come with me peacefully and your friends won’t come to any harm.”

To Arthur’s surprise, Gwaine dropped his sword and raised both hands. The smile on his face didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Alright. You got me.”

“Gwaine,” Merlin called out but Gwaine merely looked back and shook his head as two knights put him in shackles. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I guess my past has caught up with me. Can’t outrun it forever.” Gwaine winked. “Thanks for being my friend, Merlin. Sorry it has to end here. And Arthur, guess the treasure is yours.”

Tybalt jerked his head and the two knights dragged Gwaine out of the tavern, leaving behind a nonplussed Arthur, Merlin and Guinevere. 

Turning to Merlin, Arthur demanded, “what the hell just happened here?”

“I’m not very sure myself. We need to do something.”

Arthur eyed the rest of the knights warily. “Let’s go.”

“And leave Gwaine –“

“Merlin,” said Arthur. “Let’s go.”

While the tavern stared at them, they made their way to the rooms on the second floor. Once the door shut behind him and he drew the bolt, Arthur sighed with relief. 

“Spill,” he demanded, glaring at Merlin. Gwen sat on the bed, a worried frown creasing her brows and Arthur felt a twinge of guilt at getting her involved in this.

Merlin raised his hands. “I don’t know anything!”

“Stop –“ But before Arthur could finish his sentence, a knock so slight he almost thought he imagined it sounded. Quickly, he put a finger to his lip, positioned himself at the door and drew his sword. 

“Hello?” It was the barmaid who had served them earlier. “I would like to speak with you.”

Arthur glanced at Merlin and Gwen, both of them simply stared back at him. Slowly, he cracked open the door and looked out.

The barmaid pressed close to the door. “You are Gwaine’s friends?”

“Not really,” said Arthur, reluctant to get dragged into more of Gwaine’s shenanigans. 

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips. “Please, you need to help him. The King will have him put to death.”

“Look, miss. Whatever Gwaine is involved in here has nothing to do with us.”

“But –“

A hard shove made Arthur stumble from the door and he shot Merlin a look. But Merlin was already talking to the barmaid to notice it. “What do you know about Gwaine?”

Then, with absolutely no concern for their safety whatsoever, Merlin pulled the door open and gestured for the barmaid to enter. Thankfully she appeared to be alone. She looked nervous and her eyes darted from Arthur’s to Gwen’s.

Gwen stood. “Why has Gwaine been arrested?”

“Gwaine’s a wanted criminal isn’t he?” Arthur said. That wouldn’t surprise him at all. Arthur always knew that Gwaine was slightly suspicious with his vagabond ways and complete disrespect for anyone. 

“Officially.” The barmaid swallowed, and laid her hand flat against her stomach. “But to many of us, he’s a hero.”

“Gwaine, a hero?” Arthur repeated flatly. “Then why was he arrested by the King?”

“King Caerleon isn’t the most generous of rulers. Gwaine has crossed him many times, helping us.” 

“How did he help?” asked Gwen.

“He would give us money, supplies, whatever he could give. When my brother was ill, he gave us some money so we could consult a physician.”

Great. Of course Gwaine had to turn out to be some sort of hero to the common man. Charming, skilled with a sword, generous, he was Lancelot number two, except less likeable. Arthur sighed. Still it didn’t make any sense.

“So Gwaine is generous. I don’t see what that has to do with his arrest,” said Arthur. “As selfish Caerleon might be, I don’t see him arresting people for being too generous.”

“He got all his money from the nobles, didn’t he?” said Merlin. 

The barmaid nodded. “I have to go back down before I’m missed. Please, help him.” 

Merlin was grinning. “I knew Gwaine was a good guy.” He punched Arthur on the shoulder, eliciting a growl from Arthur.

“A good guy wouldn’t steal,” said Arthur coolly, his brain still trying to process what he’d learnt about Gwaine. 

“Well, now we know he isn’t some murderer or something, we have to help him,” declared Merlin. 

“What? Do you expect us to just waltz into Caerleon’s castle and request for his release?”

“We have to rescue him,” said Merlin firmly.

“We? Do you mean you?” Arthur asked. He wasn’t sure it was a good idea to get himself embroiled in matters involving King Caerleon. “Because as angry as Caerleon is with Gwaine right now, he’s only going to get angrier if he finds that Camelot is involved in his escape. And I don’t really want to start another war between the two kingdoms.”

“Gwaine’s our friend.”

“Gwaine is your friend! Not mine,” snapped Arthur. “Look I get it. I feel bad for Gwaine but it isn’t worth the risks. And frankly, he shouldn’t have been stealing from the nobles. It’s still a crime.”

Merlin kicked the bed. “I thought more of you,” he said before leaving the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Arthur,” Gwen said.

He turned to look into her concerned eyes. “Don’t. We are not getting involved in this.”

Less than an hour later, he was knees deep in the whole situation. It wasn’t that Arthur wanted to go off and rescue Gwaine but there was no way he could let Merlin and Gwen do it on their own, so he sighed, grabbed his sword and bag and said with as much exasperation as possible, “Let’s go then.”

“I just gave away money renting those room that we are no longer sleeping in,” said Arthur as they made their way to the center of Caerleon. “I hope you’re happy, Merlin. I’m not made of gold, you know.”

“Aren’t you the one always going on about not leaving people behind?” muttered Merlin.

“Yes. People who are under my protection. Not random, scruffy men you pick up along the road!” 

Merlin muttered something that sounded like ‘clotpole’ but Arthur decided not to pursue it. Instead, he went through in his mind what he knew of Caerleon’s castle. As it turned out, since he hadn’t been involved in his father’s war against Caerleon, it was very little. Which meant that the dangers were higher.

“Hey you!” An old man sitting outside his little home yelled at them. “You three outsiders!”

What now? Surely, no one had recognized him.

“Come here. I want to talk to you.”

Gwen was already moving towards the old man, who had shuffled to the edge of his chair, his eyes fixed on them. 

“Can we help you?” asked Gwen. Arthur hovered behind her.

The old man’s looked around, then gestured for them to get closer. When the three of them did, the old man whispered, “you are the people Gwaine came to town with?”

“Yes,” said Merlin. “Do you have information for us?”

“They took him to the castle.” Arthur bit his lip to stop himself from saying that they already guessed that. “You should visit his mother.”

“His mother? She’s still alive?” asked Merlin.

“Why, of course. You didn’t know that? I thought he returned to see her.”

Arthur shook his head. “Gwaine is a man of mystery,” he said dryly. “What good will seeing his mother do?”

“She can get you into the castle.” The old man studied them. “You are going to rescue him aren’t you?”

“It’s not like I have much choice,” muttered Arthur.

“How will seeing his mother help? Surely if Gwaine is so wanted, then –“

The old man raised a hand, silencing Merlin. “The King may not like Gwaine at all, having been unable to stop his thieving ways for years, but the King hold’s Gwaine’s brother-in-law, Sir Elan, in high regard.”

“His brother-in-law?” gasped Gwen. “He’s a knight with Caerleon?”

“Yes. His sister married him. Sir Elan was so enamored with his sister that he persuaded Caerleon not to seek revenge on her and Gwaine’s mother in exchange for Gwaine’s banishment from the kingdom.”

Arthur blinked. Just how many kingdoms has Gwaine been banished from? “And you think his mother will help?”

“She misses him terribly,” said the old man. “Gwaine, he helped me when I needed help. She lives in a house in the main square. I’m sure Gwaine’s arrest will have reached her ears by now.”

Straightening up, Arthur nodded. “Thank you.”

++++

By the time they reached the castle, darkness was settling over Caerleon and Arthur found himself digging into his pouch to pay for a room at another tavern. Filled mostly with off-duty knights, Arthur was relieved that no one seemed to recognize him. Instead of sharing a room alone with Guinevere, Arthur found himself sandwiched on a small bed between Merlin and her. With Merlin against his back, it simply felt wrong for him to wrap his arm around Guinevere. So Arthur slept – at least he tried to, carefully avoiding touching Guinevere while Merlin moved around and kicked him in the back.

The next morning, even before the sun rose, the three of them made their way to the main square in search of Gwaine’s mother. Gwaine was clearly the hero of the people in Caerleon, Arthur was slowly realizing. Everyone they spoke to never had a bad word to say about him, instead almost revered him. The irresponsible, carefree Gwaine was a hero in disguise. Who knew?

And everyone was keen to tell them of Gwaine’s past which is how Arthur now knew that Gwaine had taken up his thieving ways when his father died and Caerleon refused to help support him and his mother. 

Merlin’s fingers were white, mainly because of how Gwaine’s mother was clutching them. “You will save my Gwaine?” she asked, tears in his eyes. She looked nothing like Gwaine but the desperation in her voice when she spoke of how Gwaine had been arrested told Arthur she was definitely his mother.

“Why can’t Sir Elan get Gwaine out?” Arthur asked. “I hear he’s Caerleon’s favourite knight.”

She dropped her eyes to the ground. “Gwaine and his sister – they haven’t had a very good relationship.”

Arthur frowned at that. “But they’re still family! And –“ He thought of Morgana, of the lengths he would go to if she was ever in trouble. 

Gwen placed a hand on his arm and shook her head. “We would love to help you, Lady Green.”

Arthur sighed. “We will try but we need to get into the castle. You can help us?”

Gwaine’s mother looked at them. “I’m always allowed into the castle. My daughter lives there, but to bring three strangers in. They may be suspicious, especially with Gwaine arrested.”

“What about just me?” asked Merlin.

“Don’t be foolish. You aren’t going to be able to break Gwaine out alone,” snapped Arthur. “And I’m not going to risk having you arrested as well!” 

“Surely you know a cloaking spell,” said Guinevere suddenly. “Something that would make us invisible.”

“That would be helpful, Merlin. Which probably means you don’t know one.”

Merlin scoffed. “Of course I do. The only problem is that I can only cloak myself. I’ve never tried to use the spell on more than one person before.”

“I have an idea,” said Gwen slowly. “We will just need to cloak Arthur.”

++++

Sometime later, the three of them stared up at the castle. It was not quite as large as Camelot’s but it was still a sturdy piece of architecture.

“You might tingle a little,” said Merlin.

“You’re sure your spell will work?” Arthur was never sure with Merlin. Sometimes he was as dependable as cherished sword. Other times, he was flighty as a bird. “How long will it last?”

“Umm, I’ve never had it on for more than two hours.”

“What do you do with this spell?” Guinevere asked, adjusting the large basket in her arms. It was filled with various vials of coloured water but Arthur wasn’t quite sure why. Arthur frowned at her question. Guinevere was right. What on earth did Merlin do while he was invisible?

Arthur glared at Merlin. “Is this why I can’t find you when there are chores to be done? You haven’t been inappropriate with this spell have you?”

Merlin’s raised arm dropped. “Inappropriate?”

“You know, spying on the maids. I remember catching you spying on Catherine the troll once.” Arthur’s eyes narrowed. He should have known Merlin’s supposed innocence and naivety was just a cover.

“What – no! That’s not what I do!”

Arthur raised his eyebrows, encouraging Merlin to continue. Guinevere nodded.

“Iuseittofollowyou.”

Arthur blinked. “Say that again.”

“I use it to follow you, alright? When you’re being a fool so I can rescue your annoying ass.”

When Guinevere laughed, Arthur’s annoyance grew. “I don’t need you to rescue me!”

“Oh please. How many times have I –“

Guinevere stepped in between them. “Stop it. We’re supposed to be rescuing Gwaine. So can we do that?”

Casting Merlin one more glare, Arthur nodded grudgingly. “Go on then. Cast your spell.”

The way Merlin glared back at him, Arthur thought he was probably lucky Merlin didn’t cast another spell instead. He felt the tingle, like Merlin had warned, then before his very eyes, he slowly disappeared. It was a strange experience and from the look in Guinevere’s eyes, she thought the same.

“Arthur?” she whispered after a while.

“I’m here. Am I completely invisible?” Arthur peered at himself. He certainly appeared to be completely invisible.

Guinevere nodded. “I’m talking to air. It’s strange.”

Apparently still unhappy, Merlin jumped in. “Let’s go. We’re supposed to meet Gwaine’s mother at the entrance.”

And there she stood, her hands clasped, worry in her eyes. Guinevere smiled at her, placed a hand on her arm and whispered something in her ear that seemed to calm her down. Two large knights stood at the entrance to the castle. Guinevere and Gwaine’s mother walked up the steps, closely followed by Merlin. 

“Lady Green,” said the knights. “Here to visit your daughter?”

“Yes.” There was a tremble in her voice and Arthur hoped that the knights didn’t notice it. “I brought some visitors for her.”

“Good morning,” Guinevere smiled brightly. “I’m a travelling merchant and I have with me some really potent tonics for females.”

The knight on the right responded. “If you’re a travelling merchant, who’s the runt?”

“My assistant. A good merchant always needs an assistant.” Guinevere flashed her smile again. If it were him, Arthur would have let her enter on the strength of her smile alone.

“Not many merchants come to the castle,” said the other knight. He looked back at Gwaine’s mother. “She’s with you?”

“Yes. Her tonics are really potent and I wanted her to show them to my daughter. I am sure some of the other ladies would love to have a look as well.”

The first knight, clearly charmed by Guinevere, nodded. “Well then, I hope you make some sales.” He pushed the castle door open and gestured for them to enter.

“Thank you.” Gracefully, Guinevere dropped into a curtsey. The vials clinked at her movement. Beside her, Merlin clumsily bowed then they made their way into the castle. As Guinevere chatted with the knight, Arthur studied the castle carefully. It looked like a typical castle which meant that the cells would be directly below the throne room, and the throne room would be in the main wing of the castle. They were, however, being led to the west wing.

The breakfast room was a lavishly decorated room and contained about ten ladies who were sitting around and chatting. One lady, clearly Gwaine’s sister, jumped up with a squeal and hugged her mother, who then made the introductions. Arthur couldn’t believe how she could be so happy when her brother was locked in the dungeons below.

Guinevere curtsied then launched into an introduction, explaining that her vials contained tonics which would be able to keep them looking young. That perked their interest and they quickly surrounded Guinevere and her basket. 

“Merlin, could you please get the other vials from the stash?” Guinevere asked.

With a nod, Merlin exited the room and Arthur followed behind. “This way,” he nudged Merlin and they walked towards the throne room, carefully avoiding the patrolling knights. The throne room wasn’t far away and the stairs down to the cells were on its right. But standing at the head of the stairs were two knights.

“Use your magic and knock them out.”

“Right,” said Merlin, loud enough that they looked up and straight at Merlin. “Sorry.” Something happened and the next thing Arthur knew was the two guards were lying on the ground. 

“Great. Stay here and keep watch. I’ll go down and release Gwaine.”

From halfway, Arthur studied the cells. Again the layout was familiar and three guards sat around a small table, engrossed in a dice game. He walked down a few steps, then saw Gwaine sitting in the corner of the furthest cell. A motley group of people populated the other cells but Gwaine had one all to himself. 

If he took the keys from where they hung, next the table, the guards were sure to notice them moving across the space. Which meant he needed a distraction. Which meant he needed Merlin. 

A small fire exploded at the other corner, prompting the guards to abandon their dice game to rush over Giving Merlin a thumbs up, Arthur darted over to the table, grabbed the keys and unlocked Gwaine’s cell.

“What the hell? I’m pretty sure I haven’t had a drop of alcohol –“

“Shut up Gwaine. It’s me.”

Gwaine’s eyes widened. “I’m not sure which is more shocking you rescuing me or you being invisible.”

“Can we just go?” Arthur said. “Come on.”

The fire dealt with, the three guards turned their attention to Gwaine. Swords were drawn and they moved menacingly closer. 

“Hello,” said Gwaine with a smile. “I don’t suppose anyone of you have an extra sword to spare.”

Before any of them can answer, Arthur slammed two of their heads together while Gwaine punched the other in the face. Grabbing one of the swords, Arthur tossed it to Gwaine and they both ran. 

“Get Guinevere,” said Arthur as they reached the top of the stairs, elbowing an on-coming guard in the stomach. Gwaine busied himself dealing with another guard as Merlin slipped past the brawl to where Guinevere was.

The moment Arthur saw Guinevere running towards them, he yanked on Gwaine and they made their escape, leaving a pile of unconscious guards in their wake. With a quick spell, Merlin froze the knights at the entrance allowing them to run out of the castle with little trouble. People outside the castle watched them curiously but no one stopped them.

“We can’t stay here,” said Arthur as he helped Guinevere onto his horse. “Let’s go. Hopefully, we can reach the borders.” 

"Wait!"

Arthur turned to see Gwaine’s mother running out of the castle as well. 

“Mother,” whispered Gwaine. Then he repeated it slightly louder. He hopped off his horse, then strode towards her. “Mother.”

“Gwaine.” Her hands cupped his face and a watery smile spread across hers. “You look well.”

“I am.” Even Gwaine’s usually impenetrably cool exterior shook a little.

As touching as it was, Arthur knew they couldn’t dally so near the castle. “Gwaine. We have to go.”

Arthur watched as Gwaine gave his mother a hug and a kiss. He blinked, telling himself it was the wind in his eyes. Gwaine untangled himself from his mother, jumped onto his horse and they all rode off.

++++

Much to Gwen’s relief, they left Caerleon’s borders without too much trouble. It seemed that King Caerleon didn’t deem Gwaine important enough to send knights after them. Gwaine found that somewhat insulting but Gwen was just happy. She had enough adventure to last her a lifetime. The next time Arthur asked her to go on a quest with him, she was going to say no. Much better to stay in Camelot and wring her hands over his safety. She watched Gwaine but aside from his relative silence, he didn’t seem too upset at what happened in Caerleon.

“Your mother, she wouldn’t get into trouble, would she?” Gwen finally asked as they cantered along. 

“My sister’s only saving grace is that she loves my mother. She will never let anything happen to her.”

“That’s good,” said Gwen quietly, her mind suddenly thinking of Elyan. It’d been ages since she’d thought of him.

“I guess when we retrieve the Stone of Esthpet, it should rightfully be yours, Arthur” said Gwaine. “Thank you for the rescue, although honestly, I would have figured out an escape eventually.”

“You should have stopped at the words ‘thank you’ and yes, I agree that the Stone should be mine,” said Arthur. Gwen leaned her forehead against his back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of Arthur moving with the horse beneath her arms. 

In all the excitement of the quest, Gwen realized she had no idea what the Stone of Esthpet was.

“It’s the family heirloom of a great family. It’s the only perfectly round stone made by nature. Legend has it that it brings luck to whoever owns it.” Gwaine laughed bitterly. “I don’t believe the legend. The last owner died in battle. Not very lucky.”

“How is it that it’s been hidden all these while?”

“The last owner brought it to battle with him. When he died, it was presumed that the stone was taken by those who killed him. I guess not.”

Gwen nodded. “You know a lot about the stone.”

“Let’s just say that I’ve been very interested in it for a long time.”

That made Arthur speak. “Why?”

Gwaine simply shrugged and spurred his horse on. “The stone is not far away. We just have to cross the Black River to get to the mountains.”

Gwen felt Arthur urge their horse on as well and they cantered towards the river. 

The Black River lived up to its name, a rushing torrent of dark water flowed past them as they stood on the bank. 

“The horses won’t make it across,” said Merlin.

“That’s why we have to make the rest of the journey by foot. Hold tight to me Guinevere.” Gingerly, Arthur stepped into the river, stumbling as the water slammed into him. Clinging to his arm, Gwen tried desperately to hold on to her balance as they walked slowly across. Her foot slipped several times, water splashed onto her clothes and into her mouth and by the time she successfully made it across the river, Gwen knew she was a mess. 

Arthur’s gentle voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “Alright?”

“Yes,” she said, looking at him, then reaching out to push his wet hair out of his eyes. He smiled at her and her heart jumped.

“Don’t want to break up all the loving but we have to keep moving,” Gwaine said, amusement lacing his voice. 

“Yes, of course.” Gwen could feel her cheek heat up and she quickly started to walk. Arthur snagged her hand and held it. She didn’t pull away.

The walk was long but uneventful aside from two large beasts that attempted to kill them. But they were easily dispatched by the three of them. Merlin and Gwaine walked together, chatting comfortably while she and Arthur walked slightly behind.

“I’m sorry,” Arthur said, squeezing her hand.

“For?”

“For dragging you through this. It wasn’t supposed to be so hard.”

“I agreed to go. Whatever happened wasn’t your fault.”

Arthur shook his head. “I shouldn’t have even brought it up. I should have ignored the dream like you suggested.”

“Oh, you love quests. Don’t tell me you didn’t like the thrill of defeating the two beasts earlier,” laughed Gwen. 

“That thrill is nothing compared to how I would feel if anything happened to you.”

“Well, nothing has so far.”

Pulling her closer, Arthur pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I am glad. It’s just a while more, then we can return back to Camelot. I am quite eager to surrender to the boredom of summer.”

In response, Gwen kissed the back of his hand.

++++

Mountains loomed in front of them. Above them, large flying creatures lazily circled the air.

“Where exactly is this stone?” asked Merlin as they all stared up at the mountains which seemed to go on forever.

“Buried at the foot of the third mountain from the left,” said Gwaine. 

Arthur raised his eyebrows but said nothing, letting Gwaine take the lead. Exhausted from all the walking, they trudged over and Gwen looked in dismay at the ground in front of the third mountain from the left. “There’s a lot of ground to cover. We are going to be digging forever!”

Next to her, Arthur sighed. “I don’t suppose you received better instructions, Gwaine?”

“Nope.”

“If the stone is magical, I could try a tracing spell.”

“I don’t think we have a lot of choices,” said Gwaine. “Let’s try that.”

Raising his arm, Merlin muttered something. 

The earth shook and Gwen clutched Arthur. “That’s a powerful spell!” 

“Uh, I didn’t do that.” Merlin looked nervously around. “I haven’t actually cast my spell yet.”

When the earth moved again, Gwen stumbled and despite Arthur’s best efforts, fell to the ground on her hands and knees. 

“Guinevere!” Arthur knelt next to her. “Are you alright?”

“I think this place is going to collapse,” said Gwaine just as another tremor hit them, causing Merlin to slam into Arthur, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground next to her. 

“That box!” Just as she was trying to rise, Gwen noticed a small box sitting nicely on some distance away.

Gwaine flung himself at it, grabbing it when the earth rumbled again. “Run!” he yelled.

They tried, but really, it was more like them crawling away from the area. The tremors came faster and faster, Arthur held her close, practically dragging her with him as she tried to find purchase with her feet. Gwaine and Merlin clutched at each other, both stumbling until finally, they reached the banks of the river.

She was utterly exhausted. Nothing in her life as a maidservant had prepared her for this. There were scraps all over her arms and legs, a layer of dust coated her and if it wasn’t for Arthur allowing her to lean her whole weight against him, she might never have made it to the river.

“I’m going to carry you on my back. Hold on.” Before she could say anything, Arthur hoisted her up and made his way through the rushing currents. 

The moment Arthur set foot on the other side, they collapsed.

“We made it!” gasped Gwen, flung her arms up and laughed.

“Merlin and Gwaine?” Arthur coughed, lifting his head and looking around. 

A groan answered them and a distance away, Gwen saw a hand wave limply. Arthur heaved a sigh. “We made it,” he repeated. “We made it.” Then he flopped down on the grass again.

++++

The four pairs of eyes peered into the box.

Nestled in the middle of it was the most unexceptional stone. It was round for sure, as Gwaine had said, but that was possibly the only interesting thing about it. It could at least sparkle, Arthur thought. All that effort for something he could probably find while wandering around the forest.

“There’s a marking,” said Guinevere. “Can I?” Her hand reached over the box and Arthur nodded. Gingerly, her fingers wrapped around the stone and lifted it out. She turned it over and showed the small marking to the rest of them.

It looked like a family crest, an oddly familiar one that Arthur couldn’t place.

“Can I see it?” Gwaine asked and Arthur passed it to him. There was a strange look in his eyes as he examined the stone, holding it as if it was the most precious item he’d ever seen. Then again, Gwaine probably never held anything valuable in his hands before. “Take care of it,” he said finally before dropping it into Arthur’s palm.

“Right. Let’s go home.” He placed the stone back into the box, snapped it shut and slipped it into his pocket. 

++++

They crept through Caerleon in the night and made camp just outside its borders. 

Guinevere and Merlin were fast asleep in their bedrolls, next to the crackling fire and Arthur took comfort in their steady breaths. Gwaine was some distance away, leaning against a tree, his sword stuck in the ground next to him. In the moonlight, he looked like a troubled hero.

Arthur knew he should sleep. The ride back would be a long and tiring one. Instead, he left the fire and walked towards Gwaine.

“Unhappy you lost the stone?”

Gwaine turned to him, a slight smile on his face. “I admit I don’t like losing.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about your noble background?” Ever since Arthur heard it from various people in Caerleon, it had been nagging at him. “You know my father would pardon you for anything if –“

“You know how I feel about nobles. I don’t want any part of that.”

“And so you wander the lands.”

The smile deepened. “And so I wander the lands. Drinking, carousing.” 

“You’re not as bad as you make yourself out to be.” Arthur said grudgingly. “You would have been a great knight.”

“We’ll never know, will we?” 

Arthur looked out at the rest of the forest. It was unnaturally still, only the slight night breeze rustling leaves here and there. He sighed.

“The stone, it’s your father’s isn’t it?” Arthur had been puzzling over the crest, wondering at Gwaine’s request that he keep it safe, then finally, as they rode through Caerleon, put it together. “That’s why you wanted me to keep it safe.”

“You’re smarter than you look. My father lost it in his last battle for Caerleon. He always had it with in during battler, claimed it brought him luck.” Gwaine pushed himself away from the tree. “And now it’s yours. I wouldn’t depend on it for luck.” 

“And you have been planning to retrieve it, haven’t you? There wasn’t any dream at all.”

A slight smile crossed Gwaine’s face. “No. Actually, it was pure luck you had your dream, although I admit I am curious as to why you’re dreaming about this stone.”

Arthur shrugged. “Honestly, the dream didn’t actually show me what I was looking for.”

“So you latched on to my quest?” Gwaine asked.

“I suppose.”

Gwaine grinned. “Never thought I’d say it but it’s just as well. If anyone is going to have my father’s stone, you’re not too bad a choice.” Pulling out his sword, Gwaine turned to walk away. “I’ll keep watch. You should sleep.”

Arthur watched Gwaine walk towards the fire. From his pocket, Arthur took out the box, opened it and in the moonlight looked at the stone. It was still unexceptional. And it wasn’t as if his father didn’t have enough treasures in his dungeons already.

“Here. It’s yours. You should keep it.” Roughly, he pushed the box at Gwaine. 

“You won it, fair and square.”

“Look, just take it before I change my mind.”

Gwaine looked at him, then back at the box. He took it, opened the box and ran a thumb over the stone. “Thank you.”

“Yeah,” said Arthur, hating the way he was suddenly feeling. "I’m going to sleep. Keep watch.”

“Arthur.”

His back towards Gwaine, Arthur stopped walking.

“Merlin was right. You aren’t like the other nobles.”

“I wouldn’t listen to Merlin so much if I were you. He’s full of nonsense.” 

_Epilogue_

Gwen squeezed her eyes shut but unfortunately, she couldn’t squeeze her ears shut. Next to her, Gwen could feel the annoyance in Arthur, wound tightly around him. Through the incredibly thin walls, someone moaned, followed by slurps.

Slurps.

She threw a hand over her eyes, hoping that it would stop her imagination.

“I am going over there and –“ Arthur flopped back down on the bed and let out a harsh groan. For the millionth time, he reached over and banged on the wall.

“You’re only going to break down the wall, and then we’re not only going to hear Gwaine and Merlin doing whatever they are doing, we’re going to see them doing it.”

_Please. Don’t stop._

“Oh for goodness sake!” Arthur sat back up. “I can’t sleep like this.”

Opening her eyes, Gwen smiled in sympathy. She felt the same way. She was happy for Merlin, really, but as much as they were good friends, there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed. “How about a walk? It’s a nice night.”

Arthur held her hand as the strolled around the tavern. Not many people were around and the stars blazed down on them. Gwen tilted her head and stared at the sky. She thought of Elyan again.

“What’s on your mind?” With a tug, Arthur pulled Gwen close to him, then dropped a kiss on her head.

She looked up at him. “It was good of you to give Gwaine the stone.”

“That wasn’t what you were thinking of,” said Arthur. 

“No,” she smiled. Then she let her smile drop. “I was thinking about Gwaine and his family. It’s such a mess.”

“Families are always messy,” said Arthur. 

“Yeah.” Maybe she should try and get in touch with Elyan again.

“But you’ll always have me.” Arthur said it so quietly, Gwen almost didn’t hear him. 

Her heart swelled and she felt an overwhelming desire to tell Arthur she loved him. Instead, she settled for resting her head on his shoulder and slipping her arms around his waist.


End file.
